Religion, Rituals & Music: Quite an Af"fair"

You may have heard of a musical routine, but have you ever heard of a music ritual? Both seem to mean a similar thing. When something is routine, you do it over and over again. Rituals, as one author puts it, are found in every human community; the word rite derives from a Greek word meaning “a thing done” to achieve a specific end (Livingstone 98.) Yet how can a music be something so liberating, and also be a ritual, when you follow certain guidelines?

Although it may not be as clear-cut as that, (liberating vs. guidelines), there’s an interplay here between liberty and constraint, ritual and improvisation, inherent in musical performances. 

It’s almost undeniable that music is a powerful thing. David Laderman writes that for many people, the physical and visual/sensory stimulations found in the music scene create a “sacred mix that has the power to transform identity, offer revelations, and provide liberation.” Bodily movement and proximity to others are found at music festivals, and religious gatherings. Is circling around the Kaaba in Mecca completely different than circling in a mosh pit at a metal concert? Yes, they do have many differences. But they both use certain patterns of movement to achieve an out-of-the-ordinary sensation, and a sense of community.

Many have said they have a “spiritual experience” at  concert – but what do they mean by that? If we look at religious ritual, which can be defined as “an agreed-on and formalized pattern of ceremonial movements and verbal expressions carried out in a sacred context” (Livingstone 98), then we can see that the “sacred” is a key part in this experience. What is the sacred? Deriving from Greek, it means to something set apart, away from the mundane. And when do you ordinarily “sing and dance and groove with others ” in public, other than at a music event (Laderman 32)? Or other than at church or a religious space? There is a specialness and sacredness in the newness, proximity to others, and routine that music and strictly religious rituals facilitate.

Where did I see this ritual the most? At the New York Sate Fair. It seems like an unexpected place to find the sacred: I doubt many see the divine among corndog and fried Oreo stands. But music and rituals were everywhere. I turned one corner, and there’s a Iroquois Village. I sat and watched people from numerous different tribes sing, play traditional drums, and dance the Shadow Dance. This was different than the carnival ride; it was sacred. I could tell this was a mix of music and ritual: I knew when to sit and applaud, and they knew when to dance, turn, even in improvisation. It was without a doubt that this music had a large tie to their heritage, while creating a sense of liberation from their everyday lives and community.

As I continued walking along the signs for ice cream and a barn full of prized sheep, I also saw another example of how religion influences the style of music. I heard a powerful Gospel band preaching and praising the Lord, and hands were raised, Amens were said, heads nodded along.

But after the sun slipped over the horizon, I made way for my religious ritual. I entered a closed off area: a space set apart and scared from the rest. We all huddled and faced the front, knew when to sit for the ballads, and stood up and jumped for the techno hits. I thought of the women shouting for Jesus at the Gospel concert earlier, and I and hundreds of people shouted our praise for Young the Giant. I wore a creamy fringe top and a flower in my hair: a costume out of the ordinary for me, but strangely liberating. I could be a part of a community of flower children, seeing a free concert and rebelling against consumeristic people in their 40s – we were enclosed in our special arena of good harmonies and smiling faces.

One Associated Press story said that the experience of (crunk) music is “reminiscent of a religious experience” (Laderman 38). I’d argue that it’s a deeply ingrained religious experience rather than just a lingering feeling. Music involves a type of spontaneity because you never quite know what the set list is, or who will be standing in your row, but you’re bound to belong, and know when to sway and sing along. I saw at the State Fair that  some musical rituals are easier to spot than other, but I think religious rituals are aspects of many “life-changing” and liberating musical performances.